Hosea 2:8
The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing the source of our blessings and gifts, and the consequences of misusing them.
Chuck Smith emphasizes the importance of recognizing the true source of our blessings, which ultimately come from God. He warns against the tragic misuse of gifts when we fail to acknowledge their origin, leading to actions that promote evil rather than good. Smith highlights that God's patience should not be mistaken for approval, and continued disregard for His gifts can result in their loss. He reminds us that we are not self-made, and all we have is a result of God's grace and mercy. The sermon serves as a call to repentance and recognition of God's sovereignty in our lives.
Text
"MISUSED GIFTS"
I. FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE OF OUR BLESSINGS.
A. We need to remember, "Every good gift and every perfect gift
comes from above."
1. "Don't tell me that God gave me this success. I worked
hard for these things."
a. Where did you get your strength?
b. Who kept you healthy?
2. "I earned this by using my head."
a. Where did you get your brains?
b. Fine line between genius and insanity.
1. Nebuchadnezzar no doubt a genius.
2. He crossed over the line for seven
seasons.
3. How people love to boast, "I am a self-made man."
a. That just isn't' true.
b. "It is He that has made us, and not we
ourselves."
B. Paul asked, "What have you that you have not received?"
1. Take a look at your blessings.
2. Looking at the plus side of the column, it all
came from God.
C. God said of Israel, "She did not know that I gave her the corn,
and wine, and oil . . ."
II. FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THE TRUE SOURCE OF THE GIFTS LEADS TO A TRAGIC
MISUSE OF THE GIFTS. "WHICH THEY PREPARED FOR BAAL."
A. God may give to one, talent.
1. He uses that talent to promote evil.
2. Maybe he has a great singing ability.
a. He sings suggestive songs that debase men's
minds.
3. Maybe he's a talented writer.
a. He writes stories that inflame men's passions.
4. Maybe God has given you beauty.
a. You use your beauty to entice others into sin.
B. Tragic that men will take the voice that God has given him and
use it to curse God.
1. Some take the knowledge God has given them and use it
to seek to destroy other men's faith in God.
C. It is only God's great love that has kept us from being
destroyed.
1. How long would you feed a dog that viciously attacked
you every time you approached him?
2. How long would you keep a cat that would attack and try
to kill your baby?
a. "It is God's mercies that we are not completely
consumed."
III. THE CONTINUED FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE OF OUR BLESSINGS CAN
LEAD TO THE LOSS OF THEM. "THEREFORE, I WILL RETURN AND TAKE AWAY THE
CORN IN THE TIME THEREOF . . ."
A. God said: "My Spirit will not always strive with man."
1. Do not mistake the patience of God as blindness.
2. Do not mistake the longsuffering of God as approval.
3. Do not mistake the mercy of God as weakness.
B. God said to the church of Thyatira, "I gave her space to
repent, but she repented not."
1. God gives you space to repent.
2. "Therefore --- I cast her . . . "
3. You maybe are living even now in that space.
C. God is not under any obligation to sustain you.
1. As of the fruitless tree that had been cultivated and
cared for but remained fruitless, He may order "cut it
down, why encombereth it the ground."
Sermon Outline
- Failure to Recognize the Source of Our Blessings points: - Remembering that every good gift comes from above - Recognizing that our blessings are not our own, but from God - Understanding that God's blessings are not a result of our own efforts
- Failure to Recognize the True Source of the Gifts Leads to a Tragic Misuse of the Gifts points: - Using our gifts to promote evil - Taking God's gifts and using them to curse Him - The tragic consequences of misusing God's gifts
- The Continued Failure to Recognize the Source of Our Blessings Can Lead to the Loss of Them points: - God's patience is not blindness, but a call to repentance - God gives us space to repent, but will not always wait - The consequences of not recognizing God's blessings and gifts
Key Quotes
“Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above.” — Chuck Smith
“It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves.” — Chuck Smith
“My Spirit will not always strive with man.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We should recognize the source of our blessings and gifts, and use them for God's glory and the good of others.
- We should be careful not to misuse God's gifts, as this can lead to harm and consequences.
- We should seek to repent and turn back to God when we have misused His gifts, and ask for His mercy and forgiveness.